LEGENDS OF THE FABRICATED WILD: AN EXPERIMENTAL REPRESENTATION OF NATURAL LANDSCAPES THROUGH THE UTILIZATION OF ANALOG FILM TECHNIQUES by NICHOLAS TWARDUS B.A. Florida Gulf Coast University, 2016 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in the Department of Film and Mass Media in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2019 © 2019 Nick Twardus ii ABSTRACT Legends of the Fabricated Wild is a feature-length body of work of landscape films. Voice-Destroy, Self-Portrait: Impermanence and the titular Legends of the Fabricated Wild are the experimental films that comprise my body of work. Keep your Distance, a single-channel installation, is a supplemental piece. Legends of the Fabricated Wild frames the complex interaction between a filmmaker and the collective unconsciousness of the natural environment, a theory outlined by Carl Jung, considering the implications and discoveries along the way. Subtle movement and precise compositions provide a transcendental perspective on the natural Florida landscape. Images of landscapes devoid of human figures are structured together in my work to meditate on the environment and the way humanity has shaped the landscape. Super 8mm and 16mm analog film frames expansive landscapes in a square image and challenges modern cinematic representations by applying the texture of celluloid. High definition digital video contrasts analog film. I foreground artificiality and the ways humanity has utilized the landscape through this medium. While searching for places to document “pure” or untouched landscapes, I discovered that modern landscapes are always influenced by the exchange between humanity and the natural environment. I wanted to foreground my own interaction with the natural Florida environment and challenge my interests and dominant ways of viewing landscapes. Through the assembly of a cinematic essay of landscape images with subtle motion, I foster an appreciation for the natural environment in an age of hyper-activity and exploitation of the landscape. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to extend the utmost gratitude to my thesis advisors Lisa Danker and Kate Shults for their dedication and unwavering support of my work. As my mentors, Lisa and Kate guided my growth as an experimental filmmaker, instructor and scholar of cinema. I greatly appreciate the time and care they showed for my filmmaking. Through their example, I learned what it means to be a professional in this field. Thank you for molding me into the filmmaker I always wanted to be, for always challenging me to achieve the best and for being the greatest mentors I have known. Finding the confidence to simply believe in myself has always been my greatest flaw. Lisa and Kate believed in me every moment I was in the graduate program and granted me the encouragement in my ability that I sorely lacked. At 24-years-old, I still have a great deal of life left to live. The experience and knowledge that Lisa and Kate provided has prepared me for a long career that I am eager to begin and develop. Know that I truly appreciate it and will never forget it. Thank you, Lisa Mills, for navigating me and many other UCF graduate students through the Film Masters of Fine Arts program as our coordinator. Dr. Mills addressed our concerns and led us through many moments of turbulence with care. I would also like to thank the rest of my committee. Brooks Dierdorff, for enabling me to speak fluently about my work. Lisa Peterson, for framing narrative production strategies in an experimental modality and Keri Watson for the wealth of knowledge on Florida landscape representation. I would also like to thank the UCF film faculty, particularly the graduate faculty, for their flexibility considering a feature-length thesis project as a body of work. Especially Tim Ritter for encouraging me to apply for the program and supporting my experimental filmmaking pursuits. iv Additionally, thank you Jon Bowen, Yson DeBlois and everyone in the UCF Equipment Room for your endless patience, adaptability to my thesis body of work and willingness to aid in the comprehension of film and facilities equipment. Thank you to my M.F.A. cohort. In particular, I would like to thank Jason Gregory. We experienced a great deal of happiness and stress together during our time together as graduate students. We are ending our tenure graduating on time and as accomplished instructors of record. Jason, thank you for the endless support and the opportunities to learn from your example. In Jason, I have gained memories with a great friend that I will always cherish. Also, thank you to the Sunspot Cinema Collective for presenting the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded experimental filmmakers. Thank you to my family and close friends who have continued to show interest and support in my work and endeavors. Thank you for granting me the courage to persevere. Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my partner Hannah Sacco. Thank you for always being there for me, for relocating to Orlando and for broadening your definition of cinema to include my work. Even in times of great stress and discouragement, you were always there to grant a comforting presence. I will always appreciate it. I love you more than the sunlight that fuels my filmmaking. I can’t wait to go on many more wonderful adventures with you and support your wishes. Even though we have been together for years, I’m elated to begin our lives together. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................. ix INTRODUCTION: FILMMAKER’S STATEMENT .......................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE: EVIDENCE OF AESTHETIC LITERACY ........................................................... 3 Aesthetic Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 3 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 3 Depictions of Florida ............................................................................................................... 4 Utilizing the Experimental Landscape Film Mode ................................................................. 6 Essay Film Influences............................................................................................................ 12 Audience Responses to Films with a Landscape Focus ........................................................ 17 Carl Jung’s Theory of the Forest’s Collective Unconsciousness .......................................... 18 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 23 Screening List ............................................................................................................................ 23 Films included in Body of Work ............................................................................................... 25 Voice-Destroy (May 2018) .................................................................................................... 26 Keep Your Distance (January 2019) ..................................................................................... 26 Self-Portrait: Impermanence (March 2019) .......................................................................... 27 Legends of the Fabricated Wild (April 2019) ....................................................................... 28 References ................................................................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER TWO: EVIDENCE OF PRODUCTION LITERACY .................................................... 32 Production Literature Review ................................................................................................... 32 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 32 vi Shifting the Natural Landscape to the Foreground................................................................ 33 Depicting Landscapes with Minimalism ............................................................................... 36 Color Palette .......................................................................................................................... 37 Equipment.............................................................................................................................. 38 Incorporating an Open Frame ................................................................................................ 42 The Square Image .................................................................................................................. 43 My Composition of Natural Landscapes ............................................................................... 44 Harnessing Natural Light ...................................................................................................... 46 Sound Design......................................................................................................................... 47 Utilizing Kuleshov Editing Techniques to Create Spatial Representations .......................... 49 Reflection on Developing